Transit in Campbell River and the Comox Valley will resume next week after a strike shut down service in the region for nearly two months.
B.C. Transit said Monday that handyDART service will return on Wednesday, with full bus service resuming on Feb. 12.
“Before service resumes, all buses must undergo a thorough inspection, cleaning and on-road testing for return to service. It’s also important for transit operators to refresh their training to ensure a safe resumption of service,” B.C. Transit said in a statement. “This is standard procedure when resuming operations after a certain amount of time away from day-to-day service.”
Bus service for the two communities ground to a halt on Dec. 15 after members of Unifor Local 114 began a strike after stalled negotiations with its employer Pacific Western Transportation. The company is contracted with B.C. Transit to provide transit service in the Comox Valley and Campbell River areas.
The union had been asking for wage parity with comparably sized transit systems such those in Whistler and the Cowichan Valley.
Further negotiations between the two parties in January during the strike with a B.C. Labour Board mediator led to transit workers accepting a new contract last week.
Full settlement details have not yet been released, but the union said that it had achieved three years of wage increases in the latest contract, as well as several other benefits and the establishment of dedicated driver training roles for each transit system.
The settlement’s ratification vote passed with 80 per cent support.
Unifor said unionized mechanics returned to work two weeks ago to get a head start on getting buses ready for service.
B.C. Transit said that handyDART users were able to book non-essential and weekend trips again as of Monday.
Weekday trips for medical and other critical appointments had continued through throughout the strike under essential-service agreements.
